Azuma and Kumatetsu
by N1nt3nd0
Summary: After being taken in by a bear warrior named Kumatetsu, 14 year old Azuma is forced to become Kumatetsu's next apprentice. The two eventually form a bond, despite (almost) constant bickering. But when an evil rises that threatens to destroy Jutengai and Azuma's real home, he'll have to fight to save human and beastkind. Rated T for some blood and mild language.
1. Chapter 1: The Strange Encounter

A lone teen. Wandering the streets. Little does he know about the adventure he's about to wind up in…

 _I wasn't supposed to be here. Where I was supposed to be was back home… so why did I leave the house? It didn't matter. I promised I'd come back home, but I've been out on the streets for so long…_

I'd have to keep an eye out for the late-night police wandering around. But that made me think. Why weren't teens allowed outside during the night, but the adults were able to stay up until morning if they wanted to? It was a stupid rule to be honest. I turned a corner and saw two policemen. They luckily didn't see me, but I knew the consequences of what would happen if they did. I turned right back around and bolted back to the house.

Corner after corner I ran, jumping over boxes and vaulting over trash cans. I was breathing pretty heavily. But... wait. I stopped dead in my tracks. "This doesn't look familiar at all..." I said to myself under my breath. I looked all around me but… none of it was familiar.

I took off my hood and put my hand to my forehead. "Where's the house?" I pulled out my phone and realized that I'd taken a wrong turn. "Typical…" I muttered to myself. I was just about to go in the right direction when I suddenly heard voices. Terrified that it might be the police officers from earlier, I quickly dove into a bush. I parted the leaves just enough that I could see, but not be noticable. I heard a gruff voice say first, "So what if I don't have any apprentices? I just have to be stronger than Iozen, right? All the rest is just for show anyway." _I… Iozen? I've never heard that name before..._ Then another voice said, "The lord sets high standards, you know that." _Lord?_ I thought to myself. _W-We aren't in the Ying Dynasty or anything… are these guys from out of town?_ "You had ONE apprentice. How long did he last?" The voice said again with a clear sense of sarcasm. The gruff voice responded with, "A month. A week. A day." Dear god… The second voice said back, "Not even a full day, just the morning!" I held my breath as they walked past. I finally got a look at their lower halves but… wait. "What the fuck…?!" I whispered. Between the beige colored sandals the dude with the gruff voice was wearing, I could see red fur on his feet. The other guy walked by and… h-he had fur on his feet too! A-And… w-was that a tail?! The gruff voice responded by saying, "Well he was a crybaby." "Beggars can't be choosers." The second voice said. "I know... While we're here, why don't you find a human and make HIM your apprentice?" "Hey… you know what, that's a good idea…" I heard the gruff voice say. "W-Whoa, wait a minute, I was kidding!" The second voice said, startled at the gruff voice's comment.

I had a good feeling _that_ was my cue to leave. I quietly tried to sneak out of the bush but SNAP! My foot got caught on a branch and it snapped off. The footsteps I heard earlier suddenly stopped. I silently panicked, hoping they hadn't heard me at all. I heard the gruff voice say, "I have a feeling we're being watched." _S-Shit, they DID hear me!_ I quickly bolted out of the bush and started running, but one of them grabbed me by the collar of my hoodie and lifted me up. I flailed about, trying to break free of his grip, but he had a hold like iron. "Just a pesky human." It was the one with the gruff voice. "Let me go!" I yelled. I tried grabbing at his hand to make him drop me, but… I f-felt fur? "Hey kid, what're you doing out this late? Where's your parents?" I said back to him, "None of your business! Now let me go already, damnit!" "Strong talk for a kid like you." The strange man smirked. I yelled back to him, "I'm not a kid! I'm 15! Now let me go!" He finally released me, and I fell to the ground like a brick, hitting the back of my head on the pavement. I sat up, rubbing the back of my head as the one who held me up turned to his friend and said, "Hey Tatara, remember what you said earlier?" Tatara looked to me, then to the man, then back to me. "Oh no," he said, "I don't like where this is going." The man that had grabbed me turned back to me, an almost devilish smile on his face. That's when I noticed… He had fangs… I was broken out of my fazed state as whatever the hell this thing was said to me…

 _"How'd you like to be my next apprentice?"_


	2. Chapter 2: Wait, WHAT!

I sat there, dumbfounded. "W-What a-are you…?", was all I could manage to get out. The strange man laughed at this and said, "Must've scared him half to death." Tatara nudged his friend and said, "Come on, we need to get out of here before anyone else notices us." Tatara started walking, but the other one stood there for a moment, just staring at me. But he eventually started to walk off. I wanted to know what the hell he was, and I wasn't going to leave without an answer. I began to follow them, but at a distance. After following these guys for practically an hour, I noticed them slip into an alleyway. " _Curiosity killed the cat..."_ My mind told me. But this cat was going to figure out just what was going on. I followed them, but not close enough that they'd notice me. I walked out into what looked like a maze of hallways and were slightly green in color. There were little windows all around, but with no one behind them. "W-Well… this is terrifying…" Walking around for a little bit, I noticed there were animals with pure white eyes, just… staring at me. There was clearly something strange going on. Hearing something or someone move behind me, I noticed the shadows of the two men. I quickly darted over and ran after them. I turned the corner, and saw that they had walked into a brightly lit hallway. I couldn't even see what was on the other end. At this point, I was seriously starting to have second thoughts. But I was determined to find out about this place. When I finally made it outside…


	3. Chapter 3: What's going on!

"What the hell?!" I said under my breath. It was what appeared to be a busy street, but something was wrong. There were anthropomorphic animals everywhere! I darted my eyes around to see if this was a furry convention, but to my surprise, EVERYONE was some sort of animal! I couldn't see a single human in the crowd whatsoever! " _We need to get of here!_ " My brain told me, panicked. I turned back around to where I came in, but… it was just a solid wall behind me. I pounded on the solid concrete, but it was no use. "B-But…! I could've sworn I came in this way!" I turned around to face the crowd of beasts, and some of them were looking at me. I quickly darted and pushed my way through the crowd, desperate to find another exit.

* * *

My legs were starting to hurt, but I just had to get out of here. "W-Where am I?!" I whispered to myself, frantically. I was just about to run out of a line of shops when a hand grabbed me by the back of my hoodie. I was held up to three wolves, all of them with sinister intent on their faces. "Who's the furless one?" One of them asked. "I think it's a human… what's he doing here?" The one holding me said. The second one looked over to the "It doesn't matter. Let's skin him and see how much we can sell it for!" The one holding me said, "Or how about we eat him, or put him in a cage!" I tried to swing at them, but it was no use. Suddenly, someone said, "Put the boy down." I turned to see a pig in a black robe almost glaring at them. The wolves let me go and muttered under their breaths. The pig said to me, "Don't be afraid. Those wolves are just bullies who sound stronger than they actually are." The pig told me his name was Hyakushuubou, but to call him Kyaku for short and that I had wound up in a place called Jutengai that was only accessible by following specific paths. "Poor boy, you must've wandered here by mistake somehow. I'll make sure that you get back to your home." "Well, actually, I-" I tried to explain that I'd followed someone here, but a loud voice called out, "Hey, you actually made it!" I turned to see a giant bear with red fur run over to me, but I recognized that deep, gruff voice. "I knew I was right about you!" He put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me over to him. "What are you doing!? Can't you see that he's lost and scared?!" Hyaku pulled me back over to him, but Kumatetsu yanked me back and said, "Lost? He's not lost, he's with me! He my new apprentice, starting today." "W-What?! I-I never agreed to that!" I said confused, looking up to him. Hyaku stared at Kumatetsu with a terrified look. "He's a human child!" Kumatetsu gripped my arm and yelled at Hyaku, "What do I care if he's a human or a toilet brush! An apprentice is an apprentice, got it!?" "Whoa, whoa whoa!" Another voice cut in. A monkey walked over and said to Kumatetsu, "What's HE doing here? Didn't you hear me when I said I was kidding?" That was the voice of Tatara! Hyaku turned to him and said, "Tatara, explain to me what's going on." Tarata leaned in close to Hyaku, but I could still hear him. "The lord told him that if him ever wants to be the successor, he should start by finding an apprentice. So, we were out enjoying ourselves in the human world when we stumbled upon this one." He pointed a finger at me. Hyaku looked up to Kumatetsu and said, "And so you kidnapped him?!" I butted in and said, "I… I might've followed them..." Hyaku said, "Well, as least he's honest. But you have to take him back to the human world!" Kumatetsu lashed out at him and yelled, "Why should I?! What's so wrong with showing interest in a promising youngster, huh?!" Eventually, I had no choice but to follow Kumatetsu back to his home so I could train. I stared back to Hyaku and Tatara, and waved with a bit of smile before continuing to follow Kumatetsu up to his home.

After making it to his house, I asked him, "What do you mean, 'apprentice'?" He replied, kicking aside some garbage lying on the ground, "It means that from now on, I'm the one who's going to feed you." "I never agreed to that…" He threw down two pillows, and said to me, "That's where you'll sleep." "You've GOT to be kidding me…" I thought to myself. Kumatetsu flopped onto the nearby couch, and said to me, "Alright.. First things first, I hate crybabies. If I hear you cry, I'll kick you out." "Fine. I can do that." I told him. "And," he continued, "we're going to have to get along." "Like that's going to happen…" I muttered. "What was that…?" I heard him growl. "Nothing. I was talking about something else." "Hmph… you better have been." Kumatetsu grabbed a blanket and draped it over himself. Well… I think we should get some rest, so I'm heading to bed."

I sighed and just had to make the best of this… I flicked off the light, and headed over to my "bed". I got down on the floor, and laid out the pillows side by side. I unzipped and pulled off my hoodie, trying my best to have a makeshift blanket. After trying to get comfortable, (which took A LOT longer because of the fact that I was sleeping on the floor) I stared out the window and sighed… "How am I ever going to get home... " I whispered to myself.


	4. Chapter 4: The Breakfast Argument

I woke up with a jolt early the next morning. Kumatetsu was still asleep, so I got up and went outside. To be honest, his home had a pretty nice view. There was a chair nearby, so I pulled it over and looked out on the town. I heard Kumatetsu yawn and get up, but I didn't look back to him. "You like the view?" I heard him say. "Yeah. It's nice." "Well, it's time for breakfast, so come on inside." I walked back into the house and into the kitchen, waiting for the food. He eventually walked in holding a basket of what I assumed to be freshly picked eggs. "I didn't know you had chickens…" I said. "Well, surprise." Kumatetsu sat at the table and handed me a bowl of rice. "I like 'em raw… Makes it taste better." I said nothing. "What, you not hungry or something?" "W-What..?! Of course I am!" I said to him. "Well then, eat!" He shouted at me. "I don't eat raw eggs!" I yelled back at him. "H-How can you, it's disgusting..." I muttered. Kumatetsu yelled at me, "You don't know what you're talking about! Just watch!" He proceeded to mix together his eggs and rice and chugged the bowl. I had to look away or I'd vomit. Slamming his fist down on the table, he gave me triumphant smile with his mouth full of the nasty raw-egg and rice mixture. "S-Still disgusting..." "You're gonna eat it anyway!" He shouted at me, the rice spraying at me. I quickly protected my face with my hands. "Apprentices can't say no!" He said, standing up from the table. "For the last time," I said, getting up as well. "I am _not_ your damn apprentice!" "I'll make you eat it!" He shouted at me. "Like hell you will!" I yelled back to him. He rushed across the table, and I turned around and started running.

I bolted out of the house and began to run down the street, and I heard Kumatetsu running after me and yelling, "Get back here!" I ran even faster, and quickly darted onto a crowded street. "He'll lose me in here for sure." I thought to myself, staying low so that way he wouldn't see me. I quickly hid behind some barrels and saw Kumatetsu talking to a boar that had a robe with some sort of symbol on the back. I carefully listened. "Kumatetsu…" The boar said. "Oh… hey, Iozen." _W-Wait… Iozen? Why does that sound familiar?_ I was just about to walk out, but I realized that if I went out there, Kumatetsu would lose it at me. I decided to stay put. "So, I hear you've found a new apprentice?" Iozen continued. "Yeah… but I lost track of him somehow." Kumatetsu said. "You seen him at all?" "No... I haven't seen anyone new around here." But suddenly, I felt a jerk on the back of my hoodie and got lifted into the air. _Great. Caught yet again._ I looked back to see a blue ox holding on to me. And wouldn't you know it, he took me to where the boar dude and Kumatetsu were presumingly fighting. "Master!" The ox called out. "C-Crap…" I muttered. They both looked over to the ox holding me up, and I crossed my arms and stared at the ground. Everyone on the busy street stopped to turn and look at me. They pointed and whispered among themselves, saying things like, "Humans? In Jutengai?" "Are there more?" "How'd he get in here?" Kumatetsu's face lit up when he saw where I'd run off too. "So there you are!" He started to walk over to me, but the boar stopped Kumatetsu and said, "You don't know what you're doing! The reason why we don't live among humans is because they harbor darkness in their hearts! What if he grows into a monster?!" I looked up, startled at this comment. "Monster? He's just a scrawny kid!" I put my head back down and just listened to the argument. I kinda zoned out though, because the next thing I saw when I looked up was Kumatetsu challenging the boar to a fight. Hearing the crowd saying things like, "Kumatetsu versus Iozen!" "Now there's a fight I'd wanna see!" "Make room!" "I'm betting on Iozen!" confirmed that fact that they were going to battle. I had no choice but to watch the conflict in front of me play out.


	5. Chapter 5: Kumatetsu VS Iozen

With the crowd gathered around the two combatants, there was no going back. The two drew off their robes, and Iozen bowed humbly. But Kumatetsu was just stretched, not even being respectful at all. The crowd to started to boo him, and I just muttered to myself, "You're an idiot…" The two drew out their swords. "A swordfight?! Please tell me no one's going to die!" The ox holding me up said, "That'd be impossible. The lord forbids us from unsheathing our swords. They're even tied onto the scabbards to prevent that from happening." "Oh, okay." I said. But I needed to get a better view, so I kicked out my legs, hitting the ox's stomach, letting me go. I quickly dashed away as the ox shouted at me, "Hey! Get back here!" Shoving and pushing my way through the crowd, I finally found a prime spot to watch the fight. Kumatetsu was bouncing around Iozen, a dumb grin on his face. He did a couple of flips around him, and I looked over to see Hyaku and Tatara were in the crowd. I heard Tatara say, "That's how he intimidates his opponent!" Kumatetsu finally started throwing punches, but Iozen just simply dodged them, as if this was child's play. Iozen had even got behind Kumatetsu, but Kumatetsu just waved his hand in a taunting way. I almost facepalmed at this. Iozen did the same thing Kumatetsu did, throwing punches back at him, but Kumatetsu just jerked his head out of the way. When he thought Iozen was done he smirked at him, but Iozen delivered a blow right to the nose. Blood sprayed out like a hose from his nostrils, and I winced. I could FEEL that blow. Iozen kept going for more punches, and Kumatetsu kept dodging them, but this time holding his hands up to his nose. After AGAIN he thought Iozen was done, Kumatetsu lifted his hands off his face, but Iozen socked him right in the nose again. Fresh blood came out and I let out a low "Ow…". Kumatetsu wiped his nose and went for what could've been a powerful jab, but Iozen kicked him in the stomach, blocking him before he could land the hit. Kumatetsu fell to the ground like a slab of concrete, he was losing! Iozen started to walk away, thinking that the battle was over, but Kumatetsu got back up! "What is he doing?!" I said under my breath. Kumatetsu stumbled a little, but he eventually got back on his feet. "We're not done yet!" What happened next I couldn't believe. His body grew, staring with his hands, and working his way up. He was hunched over, his physique extremely muscular. Iozen did the same thing as Kumatetsu, and now there were two giant beasts facing each other. The two began running at each other, and they slammed together. The shockwave nearly made me fall over. They kept slamming into each other, and I figured they were jousting in a way. They finally collided, and they were wrestling with each other. They kept trying to push the other one over, but eventually, Kumatetsu was backing Iozen into a wall. I jumped up and cheered, and so did a group others. But suddenly, someone started chanting for Iozen! Before I knew it, the rest of the crowd joined in, and I was pretty sure I was the only cheering for Kumatetsu. Iozen started pushing back! Kumatetsu was going to be defeated! Kumatetsu slid easily, like a wagon. I keep shaking my fists up and down. Come on, Kumatetsu! I yelled in my head. But Iozen had worked Kumatetsu back to the center and had shoved him off. Kumatetsu collapsed and the crowd cheered for Iozen. No! Kumatetsu HAS to win! Kumatetsu wasn't finished though. He grabbed his sword and used it to pull himself up. "You want to continue?" Iozen said. "I won't stop until I've beat you!" Kumatetsu grunted in reply. He dashed towards Iozen, sheathed sword in hand and slammed it onto Iozen's sword that Iozen quickly put up for defense. The blade shivered in his hand. Kumatetsu attacked once more, Iozen blocked, the sword vibrated strongly. Kumatetsu was sweating like a rainforest, he was going to kill himself! Eventually, it turned into a swordfight, with Kumatetsu constantly attacking while Iozen blocked all of his moves. But Iozen started to fight back, landing hits that looked devastating. Kumatetsu looked awful. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Don't you DARE give up on me, Kumatetsu!" The crowd suddenly went dead silent, and they all looked around, wondering who on earth would've been cheering for Kumatetsu. But before they could've found out who it was, I quickly noticed Iozen using the opportunity to attack Kumatetsu! I ran out of the crowd and shouted, "Kumatetsu! Look ou-!" But it was too late. The sword slammed into Kumatetsu's face and he flew backwards, landing on the ground.

But out of nowhere, a old rabbit in a robe appeared in between the two and yelled, "That's enough!" Iozen quickly said, "Of course, Lord." Him and everyone in the crowd bowed down. Even though I didn't know who he was, I bowed down as well. The old rabbit turned to Iozen and said, "I'd like an explanation to all this. It isn't time for the true battle. I haven't even decided what God I want to become." _"God…? Things certainly work different around here…"_ I thought to myself. Iozen said to the rabbit and said, "Kumatetsu brought a human-" he said, pointing at me, "here. I ask that he be punished!" The old rabbit looked over to Kumatetsu, still lying on the ground after that devastating blow. "Seeing the state that he's in, I'd say that you've done quite enough, Iozen." Kumatetsu said, grunting from the pain he was in, "It doesn't matter what you say. Azuma is my apprentice!" The old rabbit smiled at him and said, "Oh ho! I guess if you're that determined…" Iozen stepped forward, a worried yet angry look on his face. "You're going to let him keep the boy!? I highly doubt that he's ready for the responsibility!" The old rabbit somehow appeared behind Iozen and said, "I'll take the responsibility. After all, I'm the one who told him to look for an apprentice." He walked up to me. "So tell me, what is your name again?" "Azuma, sir." I said, bowing to him. The old rabbit smiled at me and said, "Well, I don't see any reason why we can't keep him." "But sir-" Iozen butted in, "What if the darkness he carries should consume the land-" The old rabbit appeared in front of Kumatetsu again. _W-Whoa… either he's quick, or he can teleport..._ "Not every human can be ultimately consumed by the darkness, there are some who have been able to escape that fate." Iozen turned to face the rabbit and said, "Sir, please, why are you so lenient with Kumatetsu?" I wanted to ask what the "darkness" they were referring to was, but, the old rabbit said the crowd, "We're finished here, there's nothing more to discuss!" Everybody parted their separate ways and went on with what they were doing. Kumatetsu got up and walked back to the house, huffing at me as he walked past me. I followed after him, but at a distance.

When I opened the door, he was lying on the couch. "You're really strong." "Huh?" He said turning his head to face me, "You've must've been watching the wrong fight." He rolled back over, but I said, "If you can teach me to be strong like that, I'll stay and be your apprentice." "Yeah right…" I heard him mutter. "You'll just run off again." I sat down and the table and table and started cracking eggs. I saw him look back at me out of the corner of my eye, but I concentrated on the rice and eggs. I grabbed a fork sitting on the table, mixed them together, and ate a bite. I immediately regretted it though, as the taste of raw eggs was disgusting. Holding back throwing up, I quickly swallowed the eggs and almost fell out of the chair. Kumatetsu's face lit up, and he said to me, "Now we're in business! I hope your ready for some serious training tomorrow!" He started to laugh while I kept eating the eggs.

It took me a while to fall asleep after that due to my upset stomach...


	6. Chapter 6: Time for Training

I woke up the next morning and went out to Kumatetsu's courtyard that was at the back of his house. Sure enough, Kumatetsu was waiting for me. Hyaku and Tatara were there too. Kumatetsu smirked at me and said, "Ready for some training?" I nodded and said with determination, "I'm your apprentice. I have to." Kumatetsu grabbed a stick off of the ground and said, "Watch and learn."

He swung the stick forward, and suddenly a strong wind blew from behind us. He swung the stick to the right, and the wind seemed to follow, blowing my hair into my face. Kumatetsu tossed me the stick after he was done.

"Do exactly what I just did."

I was still recovering a little after what happened before I shouted at him, "There's no way!"

Hyaku looked up to me and said, "Don't worry, Azuma. Just give it a try." I took a deep breath in, and let it out. I gripped the stick with both hands, and tried my best. I swung, but nothing happened. I swung the stick to the right just like Kumatetsu did, but the stick slipped out of my hands. I could hear Tatara snicker at me. "Hey, it's my first time alright!" I yelled at him, but Tatara rolled his eyes and laughed at this, saying, "Yeah, of course it's your first time, like, you don't say?" "Oh, shut up." I muttered under my breath, picking up the stick. I swung it again… still nothing happened. I tried one more time, but Kumatetsu said to me, "Okay... just, stop." "Well then, what am I doing wrong?!" I asked him. "You're supposed to grip the sword-" He said, grasping the air in front of him, "and then it's a WHOOSH, and a BANG! Got it?" He said, miming the motion of swinging the stick forward. I gripped the sword tighter, but he butted in and said, "No, no, no, you're doing it wrong! You're supposed to GRIP!" "I am griping! I'm doing exactly what you're telling me!" I shouted at him. "No, you clearly aren't! This is beginners stuff, how hard can this be?!" Hyaku said to Kumatetsu, "That's the problem. Even though it's simple for you, Azuma has a difficult time because he's new to this. Try explaining it to him using different words." Kumatetsu growled loudly and shouted, "Fine!" He turned back to me and said, "You have to grip the sword in your soul!" I looked down to my chest and said, "The sword… in my soul?" I exhaled and said, "Alright… Grip the sword in my soul." I closed my eyes, and did as Kumatetsu said. I felt a bit of tight grip in my chest, which I was a little shocked to feel, but I knew what it was. I opened up my eyes, a determined look on my face. I swung the stick as hard as I could.

But... nothing happened.

I sighed and simply gave the stick back to Kumatetsu. "W-What…? What are you doing?!" He said, shoving the stick away from him. "I can't do this. I tried, but it's no use." I said somberly.

"Well… you gave it your best shot." Hyaku said, giving me a faint smile. "We'll train more tomorrow, alright?" I said, encouragingly. Kumatetsu stared at me, not saying anything. His eyebrows furrowed. I felt a little uncomfortable... "U-Uh… what's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" I asked him.

And then... Kumatetsu just walked off. "H-Hey! Wait a minute! Where are you going?!" I said after him. He didn't respond.

"Hyaku… is there something wrong with him?" Hyaku looked over to Kumatetsu, and immediately went up after him. "Where are you running off to?" I heard him call to Kumatetsu.

I looked over to Tatara, hoping to get something out of him, but he just sighed and started following after the two. "Kid… just go home." I heard him say,

"W… What?"

"Apprentices train for five, even up to ten years. At this rate, you'll never make it. So quit wasting your time…"

And with that, I was the only one left in the courtyard.

I sighed out loud. Maybe Tatara was right. B-But… how would I be able to get home… if the way I came in doesn't exist anymore? I rested the stick against one of the walls, and headed back to the house, my hands in my pockets.

* * *

I saw Hyaku sitting out on the front porch, and I walked up to the window behind him.

"So… where'd Kumatetsu go?" I said, leaning on the windowsill.

"He… left. He said we shouldn't expect to see him for a couple of days." He said to me, reading a book. "What am I supposed to do while he's gone?"

"Well… the basics, like cleaning, dusting, cooking… the usual."

I got to work, pulling down Kumatetsu's dirty clothes and collecting them.

"Aren't you eager to help all of a sudden? Is this about yesterday?" "N-No… not really."

"Don't mind him, Azuma… he's a got a bit of a temper. I'm pretty sure you've seen it from him already. But the nice thing about it is that he usually forgets about it the next day."

"What, does he have short term memory loss or something?" I said jokingly, washing out the clothes after I collected them all. "I suppose you could call it that… but just not around him." Hyaku said, smiling faintly.

After washing them all, I started to hang them up.

"Again, you really shouldn't let it concern you too much." "And again," I said, looking back to him. "It's not about yesterday." "They're gonna wrinkle if you do it like that… make sure you shake them first."

"Okay, okay… I hear ya." I said, pulling down one of them and gave a good shake.

"Hey, while you're being the busybee around here, how about you get some more food tomorrow? Kumatetsu's starting to run out." Tatara said, leaning out the window.

"Y'know, there's a thing called asking nicely…" I said to him.

The next day, I woke up early, and headed down to the market. "I've never had a human customer before…" One of the shopkeepers said, helping me fill my basket with potatoes. "Really?" "None that I've known of."

"How long are you planning on staying?" Another one asked.

"It's all up to Kumatetsu, I guess." I said, paying her and taking the fruit.

"Jutengai's first human… That's certainly a surprise." I heard someone say while I was walking back to the house.

I started to head down a shortcut when all of a sudden, Jiromaru, one of Iozen's sons and his band of cronies started to harass me, shoving me and calling me a monster. "H-Hey, knock it off!" I said, finally shoving him back.

"I heard what my dad said about you people! Humans are bad, and someday they turn into monsters! Well, why wait! I'll hunt you now!"

Then, Iozen's other son, Ichirohiko, suddenly darted in front of Jiromaru and said, "Knock it off and leave him alone!"

"T-Thanks…" I said.

"Don't mention it." He said to me, and then looking back to Jiromaru. "Dad's gonna know about this if you continue to make fun of him!"

"I'll fight you for it!" Jiromaru yelled at him, his cronies looking ready to battle.

"Go, now!" Ichirohiko said to me. "I'll hold them off!"

I nodded to him and hurried off to the house, hearing Jiromaru yell, "HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

That convinced me to start running faster.


End file.
